Rather a complex essay title you have been given there,
zoha. To begin you need to "unpack" its various parts so you can work out how you can
respond to each section of the title. The question seems to be focussing on the
resolution of all the confusion and problems in the play - how the love triangle is
"solved", and how the various disguises are taken off and identities are re-established.
Therefore one way to answer this question would be to consider whether, in fact, the
play does resolve all of these conflicts and issues - is it just a "happy ending" kind
of Shakesperian comedy or is Shakespeare trying to do something else
instead?
I have recently answered a very similar question
and I have put the link to the answer below, so have a look at that and see if it helps
you in thinking through some of the ways that the "resolution" doesn't actually
"resolve" some of the central conflicts. One additional point that you might want to
think through is are we convinced as an audience by the ending? We have seen characters
fall in love suddenly and inexplicably. Take Olivia's crush on Cesario, and then the way
she (mistakenly) marries Sebastian very quickly. Are we convinced that marriage or love
that is described throughout the play variously as a "plague" or a "sickness" or an
"infection" will result in a happy marriage? Olivia has married Sebastian - a man she
knows next to nothing about. Are these the kind of ingredients that will give us the
happy ending Act V scene i seems to promise? We could ask the same question about Orsino
and Viola - Orsino never "knows" the true Viola and yet they marry
too.
Just some ideas - hope they
help!
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